Death's Oldest Friend
by Malevolent Mind
Summary: After a gruesome and ironic end, Harry greets Death. Quickly, he discovers that his new found immortality is anchored by the Deathly Hallows, and because he was the last owner, he can now only exist in the past. Watch as Harry jumps between times plaguing the previous owners while he attempts to escape his new title; the Master of Death.
1. Chapter 1

**Writer's note:** My guilty pleasure has always been time travel fanfics. So here is my attempt at one. It's not really been edited/betaed. This is a project of pure simple fun for me. So enjoy. ;)

 **Chapter One:**

The air crackled around Harry. Black and white static blinked in and out; all around him. Moments of history flickered and shuffled before his eyes. Reaching out, he touched the rapidly changing flashes of colour. The tip of his finger brushed the surface. It felt cold like ice and yet rippled and expanded like water before it crystallized across the air. Expanding into dozens of screens, all now perfectly clear. Dozens of foreign faces, each screen playing out the stranger's life like a muggle movie.

"Where am I?" Harry whispered.

Emerald eyes widened in surprise. The screen closest to him expanded and a skeletal smile stretched across it. The crackling of static cleared, human-like teeth snapped. Words—no that was not the right title for what this was, the thing before him had no tongue… no vocal cords— A voice, yes a voice wormed in directly through his forehead. A strange sense of telepathy carved over his mind like nails scratching across a chalkboard.

"We are nowhere and everywhere." It said. "But what you truly desire to know, is why. Why are you here?"

Harry knew it was snickering at his confusion but he could not muster the emotion to feel embarrassed. He found himself captivated by the strange sound of its laughter. It sounded almost as if the creaking of a door trickled from its lip-less mouth.

"Yes, of course. You're right. Why? Why am I here?" Harry said.

"You're dead."

Harry blinked. He…He was dead? Staring down at his hands, he noticed for the first time the gaping hole in his chest. Harry gasped. A sudden wet flutter patted where his heart should have been. A white skeletal hand pushed out of his wound like a bug crawling from a corpse. Fear crawled up his neck. Harry's own still flesh bound fingers quickly grasped at it. But bone transformed into smoke before his eyes. He turned around. Standing in front of the still circling swarm of screens, a figure that could only be called Death smiled back.

"A bullet at point blank range will do that to a man. Guess you thought he wouldn't really shoot. Ever the dreamer Harry."

Memories flashed before emerald eyes. Yes, he had snuck out to the muggle world. Hoping to enjoy a night of peace without the constant battering of men and women whispering behind his back. In the back alley of a bar, he had left drunk. That's where a muggle man had attempted to rob him.

"He just wanted money for food." Harry stated.

"Defending the man who murdered you, Harry? Ever so interesting."

"I don't understand. I gave him the money…There was no need for violence."

"Some people just like to see blood. Me for instance." Death flexed his blood coated fingers. "I love the colour. Something is magical about the shade of red drying over white bones."

Harry cringed.

"If I am truly dead, why am I not in the afterlife? Where are my mum and dad? Where is my godfather? Remus… Hedwig…." He paused as the list lengthened.

"The afterlife as you call it, is where most people go. But see you're not like the others. Don't you just feel special?"

Harry spluttered. "Special? What… Tell me what's going on, right now!"

"Ah, yes! You taste of anger."

"Shut up!"

"So, you don't want me to tell you?" It mocked.

Harry palmed his forehead. "Why can't even death be simple?"

"You should have thought about that before breaking the cycle of my Elder Wand."

Harry raised an eyebrow. He knew what he was about to ask was idiotic but he couldn't help it. The idea that Death stood personified in front of him was just too much. "Are you Antioch Peverell? The creator of the Elder Wand?"

"Huh? Is that who you think I am? Seriously, humans are so _stupid._ "

"So than you truly are Death? I was under the impression that the Peverell brothers created the Deathly Hallows and Death had simply been added to mystify a children's fairy-tale."

"Humans are so full of themselves." Teeth snapped again. "Mere mortals couldn't have created those items by themselves."

Harry stilled. "I understand… So, I'm here because I died and the wand could not transfer to another."

"Yes, congratulations. You have successfully trapped yourself within my realm."

Harry looked over the flashing screens of people. Trapped? Death's realm?

"So these people are about to die?"

"All people die."

Harry glared.

Death laughed. "All except you, of course."

"So, why these people?"

"Unlike me, you are not linked to every soul. You share something in common with them."

Harry walked slowly in front of the ever changing faces. Eyes narrowing on small details. Many of these people were not living in modern times. A symbol flashed before his eyes many times. "The Deathly Hallows."

"Yes, the past owners."

"Why? Why are they there, on those screens?"

"I am anchored by the souls of the dead. Where you have unexpectedly made yourself immortal like me, you sadly can only exist in the past now. For without an anchor you will fade into nothingness."

"Bloody hell," Harry said.

"I guess one could call this Hell. But I prefer to call it the In-Between."

Harry walked across the in-between. It felt strange to walk across solid ground that he could not see. Suspended in nothingness. He vaguely wondered if this was what Snape and Voldemort had felt as they flew across the sky.

"So, I'm doomed to forever linger here watching the life's of others blink away." Harry frowned.

Death clicked and chattered as it glided above him. "What? No, of course not. That would be dreadfully boring, don't you think?"

Harry nodded in agreement. "Than what am I supposed to do?"

"You could always pay one of them a visit. There are dozens."

"Visit them?"

"Well, yes… Jump into their timelines. Not that your presence really means that much. But of course you can discover that for yourself."

Harry looked back at the screens with a new found interest. "So, I am able to dabble with the past?"

"Sort of…" Death's voice slide across his senses like glass breaking.

"What does that even mean?"

"Why don't you touch one and figure it out?" It landed behind him, long white fingers curved around Harry's shoulder, digging into his bone like grindylow claws. Harry expected that this grip would not be as easily broken.

Still, Harry squared his shoulders. "I will. Where is the Peverell brother's time? Maybe I can stop this before it ever starts."

"Was that your plan? I see... Clever. Very clever but even you cannot tempt fate."

"Fate?"

"It is just an expression." It snickered. "What you thought fate was another person?"

Harry sighed and turned from Death towards the series of mostly unfamiliar faces.

"I have only heard stories of the Peverell's. I don't know their faces." Harry rubbed the temple of his forehead.

"Ignotus and you share similar features." Death hinted.

Harry paused in front of a moving picture. A young man with familiar dark wild hair traveled along what must have been a road, but it only looked like a ruddy muddy path. In front of him two similar men walked along. A sad smile graced his lips.

Harry reached forward.

"Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk." Death chuckled. "Ignotus has always been my favourite but I guess you will soon know why."

The screen rippled like water before twisting and swirling up around Harry's arm. In a twirl of colour and the frigid sensation of ice, Harry fell into the past.

"Until we meet again, my old friend." Death whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

_(Writer's Note: I'm not a medieval expert. So yes, there will be errors. Sorry.)_

 **Chapter Two:**

Harry landed face first in the mud. Pulling up, he spluttered. After wiping mud from his glasses, he quickly noted that the tip of a wand was only inches from his nose. Harry held his hands up in the universal gesture of surrender and observed the trio in front of him.

"Could you lower that? It's making me nervous." Harry said slowly.

"Nervous, you say?" Ignotus pressed his wand into Harry's cheek. "Stranger, I will lower my wand, but first tell me… how did you fall from the sky?"

Ignotus' brother stood closely behind. Whispering back and forth.

Harry sat in the mud, puzzled is to what to say? Should he tell them the truth? Lie? He rubbed the back of his head. He really had not thought this through.

Cautiously, he palmed for his wand. It was nowhere to be seen. That wasn't good…

"I'm Harry Potter, not sure how I ended up falling from the sky." Harry flashed a sheepish grin. "Though, I can tell you that it _really_ hurt." Harry rubbed his bottom before he paused.

His chest, the gaping hole…

Anxious hands rose; trembling fingers met thick cloth. Glancing down, Harry noted that he was now wearing an old-fashion traveling cloak. As his fingers pressed harder, he celebrated that no wound seemed present. But another fear took its place. Tendrils of horror spread from the source of his panic as flutters of heat stretched and rolled across his body.

Fingers clenched tightly at his chest. The familiar thrumming of his heart… it was gone. Silent.

"You're accent is very peculiar. Where do you hail from?" Ignotus' asked before narrowing his gaze. "Strange, Potter is an English name."

Harry shook his head, trying to dismiss his panic. "Well, you see—" Harry was interrupted. The two other men stood in front of Harry with puzzled looks on their faces.

"Ignotus, who are you talking to?" A brother said. Between the two, Harry guessed the man who had spoken was Antioch Peverell **.** There were stark differences between the three. Where the other two were fine-boned, this man had sharper features and a slightly more rugged face.

The last brother placed a gentle hand on Ignotus' shoulder. "I understand, lost affects us all in different ways. Auntie Merrill will take care of my son. No need to worry yourself. We must concentrate on our quest."

"Cadmus, I tire of your never ending moaning. It has been many moons. Stop projecting your pain onto others." Antioch shoved Cadmus to the side. "Evidently, a fort night on the road is too long for our dear brother. The weather must've gotten to his head." Antioch slapped Ignotus' back so hard that he almost tipped forward. "You can't both lose your senses, you hear me little brother."

Harry watched as Ignotus looked back and forth between him and the others.

"Why can't they see you?" Ignotus mumbled.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't the foggiest."

"What do you mean, _haven't the foggiest_? Perhaps the weather has started to affect me."

Harry laughed.

"It means, I don't know. But seeing as your brothers seem to think that you have gone around the bin," Harry paused at Ignotus' confused expression. "Ummm Crazy? Mental? Unstable? Maybe we should finish this conversation later on, in private."

"But—" Ignotus was cut off as Antioch laid the back of his hand against Ignotus' forehead, checking for fever. Ignotus' ducked his head in embarrassment before sending Harry a threat filled glare. "Yes, that may be for the best." He grumbled before slowly lowering his wand.

Harry stood up and attempted to wipe the muck from his clothes.

"Well, after you." Harry waved his hand. "I'm a bit lost at the moment."

Ignotus pursed his lips before curtly nodding as he pushed Antioch's hand away.

"I'm not sick! Only organizing my thoughts."

Harry wouldn't stay the brothers looked very convinced but they dropped the subject none the less and continued to travel down, what looked to Harry, to be a very primitive road. There were not even stones; just dirt and patches of mud.

As Harry followed the trio, the absence of human sounds became quickly apparent. The lack of population and muggle technology was surprisingly noticeable. The large untouched fields seemed like seas of unexplored territory. Unconquered. Untouched by mankind.

The sun set in the west and the brothers stopped to set up camp.

Under stars, they surrounded a campfire, the sound of chirping swarmed heavily in the air. Harry shot a jealous look at their conjured seating as he reluctantly sat on the ground. The absence of his wand painfully clear. The rumbling of his stomach broke him from his longing. The smell of cooking meat wafted across his nose. Sneaking forward, he ignored the look of warning from Ignotus and reached out to snatch a bite of meat but his fingers waved right through. A trickle of fear ran down his neck. Even the heat from the fire was missing.

Ignotus' eyes widened and stared at Harry with deep interest.

"I really am dead." Harry sighed. Then why was he still hungry?

Harry watched with curiosity as they conjured a tent. The inside was as expected; much larger and grand.

Standing inside the tent, Harry tapped his foot as the trio prepared for bed. His translucent state caused a nervous nausea to grip at his stomach, he walked towards Antioch and aimed to clasp Antioch's shoulder but as Harry had feared, his hand fell right through.

"Bloody hell."

…

Harry sat next to Ignotus' bed. The snores of Antioch and Cadmus surrounded them.

Ignotus laid tense on top of his blankets, his wand still firmly gripped. "What are you?"

"Just a dead man." Harry said. Ignotus jabbed his wand at him. Harry rolled his eyes and sighed. He was sick of having a wand shoved in his face. Harry knew that he was dead but the action still made him feel on edge. "Yeah… Surprised me too."

"You're no apparition. My brothers would have seen you."

"Guess you could call me _special_." Harry spit the last word.

"If you are truly deceased and yet not an apparition, why can I… only see you?"

"Guess your _special_." Harry folded his arms across his chest. "Look, stop pointing that thing in my face. I just died. Give me a break."

Ignotus had the decency to blush. "I was unaware that your death was recent. It wasn't my intention to be cruel, I simply fear for my brothers who are unable to see you."

"I can't even touch them."

"Your tone." Ignotus stared nervously at his sleeping brothers.

"Are you bloody daft? They can't hear me!"

"I can!" Ignotus lunged forward and attempted to grab him. A mocking retort was on the tip on Harry's tongue as warm hands unexpectedly pressed against his cheeks.

Ignotus gasped. "How is this so? The dead lack warmth. Nor do they smell like a smithy… of raw iron, and earth….of blood."

Harry pushed Ignotus away and started to laugh despite the situation. "I'm solid."

Ignotus' stiffened, "Stop trying to jargogle me!" His pitch continually heightening.

"Ha, did you just say jargoogle?" Harry grinned ear to ear. "This is going to take some time for me to get used to."

"I do not understand."

"Yeah, I think that's going to be a recurring theme between us."

Ignotus gave him a fixed stare. "Tell me… who are you? What do you want?"

"I'm here to prevent you from cheating Death."

"Cheat death? What nonsense!"

Harry wondered, how much should he really say? "It's true! As a result of cheating, you will make an artifact that will hide you from Death itself."

"You're talking as if you have knowledge of the future and as if Death is a being."

"Close! I exist out of time, the in-between. To be honest, I'm still confused about the whole thing. And yes, Death is a living entity. "

Ignotus wiped his mop of dark hair back as he leaned back. "I cheat death? Not Antioch, but me?"

"Well, technically you all do it together."

Ignotus sighed. "I never dared hope that my brothers would actually succeed in their mission. Antioch is a materialistic man of great combat talent. Cadmus is not much better, ever since his wife died, he has been overcome by grief. We have traveled across the land in search of rare ingredients to create what Antioch believes will be the greatest wand in creation. Cadmus has it in his head that this search may lead to a way to resurrect his wife. However, I only joined this journey to keep watch over them. They are all that I have left. Our parents died in a wave of disease along with Cadmus' wife." Ignotus slightly ducked his head before looking at Harry through a curtain of dark hair. "I had hoped to find a way to protect them from the doom that was surely to come from there ventures. If what you say is true than I must have succeeded in creating the Cloak of Invisibility."

"So, you have started it?"

"Yes."

"Can I see?"

Ignotus glanced back at his brothers before standing up and crossing the room.

He pulled a cloak from a bag.

Harry reached for the shimmering silver cloth. The back of his mind screaming that it would only slip through his fingers. But it didn't. The cloak slid over his hands and arms; sending a strange sensation of liquid silk across his skin. Why could he touch Ignotus and the cloak yet he could not even whisper a word to Antioch?

Suddenly a thought occurred to him, Death's words worming their way in.

 _"Without an anchor you will fade into nothingness."_

* * *

 _Feedback is greatly appreciated! –Malevolent Mind_


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